Redemption
by JamesMcCartney
Summary: Summer is coming to an end in Beacon Hills. Things have been quiet, but the town's problems are far from resolved. The calm before the storm is over, and now Scott, Stiles, and Allison will have to face threats from all sides.


It was a quiet night in Beacon Hills Preserve, and that wasn't normal. Of course, the small town in Northern California had _never_ been normal, Mrs. Morrell knew that. Werewolves, hunters, the first Kanima in centuries and her kind had turned Beacon Hills into a year-round Halloween Party since its inception in the late 1800s. But despite the natural friction between the natural and supernatural peace had held for over a hundred years.

Then the 2005 incident happened. Morrell remembered the night well. It was the Wolf Moon, and the entire California faction of the Hale family had gathered at the Preserve Manor to celebrate the occasion. It was the year that young Derek would finally undergo his first full transformation, but for some reason no one could seem to find him. It would later be learned that he was out with Kate again, although it was never revealed if she had lured him out that night to protect him or to ensure that he would live with the guilt of causing his family's death. Derek's sister Laura had surmised the reason behind his absence, and left to collect him before he could accidentally hurt the huntress.

The search saved her life, or at least delayed its premature conclusion. Morrell, following in her father's wake towards a mysterious billowing smoke in the preserve, had spotter her best friend as she was passing in the opposite direction, calling her brother's name. "Laura! Hey Laura! What are you doing out?" Morrell had questioned. Laura was usually the most careful of the Hale family, feeling that it was her duty to protect the citizens of Beacon Hills from what she regarded as a curse. Seeing her out on a full moon, along with the mysterious smoke, was definitely cause for concern.

"We can't find Derek" Laura answered, clearly exasperated. Morrell could tell that she didn't seem overly stressed, so she was either unaware or unconcerned about the potential fire in the preserve. "Don't worry about Derek," Morrell said, "he's a man now and can take care of himself. There seems to be a fire deeper in the preserve. Your neck of the woods in fact. Come with us so we can make sure that everyone is OK." Laura hesitantly agreed and followed along.

Everything after that exchange was a blur to Morrell. It turned out that the Hale house had been set on fire. It was terrible. Deaton, Morrell, and Laura could hear the screams from the basement of the house but were unable to do anything to help. Deaton phoned the fire department, and it took them an agonizing twenty minutes to get to the house. Everyone save Peter Hale perished in the fire. Sherriff Stilinski canvased the wreckage for hours afterwards trying to find a sign of foul play (his energetic son waiting by the squad car the whole time, not letting his father out of his sight), but found nothing. Morrell just stared in disbelief for a while, and didn't realize that her father and Laura were no longer at her side. In fact, they weren't on the property at all. It took almost 15 minutes for her to realize that they had probably returned to the Vet's office that served as a cover for her and her father.

Morrell arrived too late though, as Deaton had sent both Laura and Derek into hiding until he could find and deal with the threat that had caused the death of the Hales. Morrell was furious. Laura was not only her best friend; but one of her only friends. She had a furious fight with her father, and most of the office's equipment was destroyed (Deaton would later install mountain ash throughout the building to prevent a repeat of the damage). Morrell left Beacon Hills a few days after, intent on never speaking to her father again.

She wandered for a few months along the California coast after that, trying to find a pack that was looking for a new "advisor" (she scoffed at the term, it was **so **inaccurate). A pack ended up finding her, and she had been with them ever since.

_Snap_. A broken branch brought Morrell back into the present. "You're late Bianca." John, one of the twins said nonchalantly. "You don't make yourselves easy to find, tracking isn't my specialty." Morrell answered calmly. John rolled his eyes "Not my call, you know they like their privacy. Let's go. The pack has been here for two months and heard nothing from you on the situation here. They're getting impatient."

"Let's satisfy their curiosity then." Morrell said, and she followed John deeper into the forest. The Alpha Pack _had _been kept in the dark (as was her intention), but the payoff would be worth it. Bianca Morrell had quite a story to tell…


End file.
